World War I—Why?

The Great War that changed the world forever. 8 million dead, 21 million wounded, 2 million missing in action, $180 billion spent—and no one knows why. But it seeded one more world war … and possibly two. Historians Chris Lovett and Sam Edelman join Edwin, with Juda Engelmayer and Zalmi Unsdorfer providing antisemitism and Hamas War reporting.

Trailer
S4 E35: World War I—Why? (click to view pdf)

Show Info
S4 E35
Air Date
Show Topics: War
Show Guests
Chris Lovett
Samuel Edelman
Juda Engelmayer
Zalmi Unsdorfer
Show Notes

The statistics quoted are documented in Chapter 6 of BP and the Redline Agreement. The $180 billion is 1918 dollars, or about $3.6 trillion as of June 2023.

Notes from Woodrow Wilson’s speech after the League of Nations treaty failed ratification.